Who is a Guru?!
We are living in very interesting times you see.
When we effortlessly remember Hrithik Roshan's pet name but
Swami Vivekananda is unheard of. When we put underworld dons on a pedestal and
Spiritual Gurus are disregarded. When we ooze ounces of respect for singers,
actors and poets but appreciating the contribution of a Spiritual Master makes
us ‘unsecular’ for some reason.
And that’s perfectly understandable...
Before we go any further, let's examine and understand why is
somebody liked, accepted and respected in our society? Take for example Sachin
Tendulkar. He is one personality who is unanimously liked by one and all in
this country. Be it young or old, educated or uneducated, urban or rural or for
that matter even the ruthless media, every one is all praises for him.
Let us ask ourselves, what do we like in him? Do we respect
Sachin Tendulkar because he is a responsible father or because he’s a good
husband or because he drives a Ferrari?
No, not really.
We all respect Sachin because of his cricketing skills.
Likewise, we respect anyone for the skill that they posses; don't we?
Respect is an interesting, gravity defying virtue; it
effortlessly flows to a person whom you place above yourself in any manner.
So it is understandable if you find it difficult to respect
somebody without knowing the skill or the talent that he or she possesses.
History is proof that whenever this planet was blessed with an Enlightened
Soul, more often than not, merely a handful of people managed to recognise Him.
Not for any other reason but simply beacuse many people did not understand the Skill*
that the Master possessed... and how that Skill* could have added value
to their own lives.
What a Spiritual Master teaches us is the Skill* of all
skills - the Master Skill*... a Skill* that gives us the
ability to excel in every other skill.
The Master may not be a pro at hooking a cricket ball out of the
stadium but he can teach you the Skill* to hook on to the ultimate.
He may not be considered the god of offside, but he can definitely teach you to
see god inside. He can teach you the Skill* to master your mind. He can
teach you how to live a happy, contented and successful life... In short, He
can teach you the Art of Living...
The Master’s ordinary demeanor can be very misleading at times
if you see things only at the gross level. Spirituality is the art of the
subtle and the enlightened one is the master at this art.
He can make the intricately subtle look effortlessly tangible.
He has the patience and the Skill* to pour infinity into a spoon and
spoon-feed us every moment. He lives in the present moment all the time. He is
the master of the matters of the mind and the realms beyond it. He is the
purest manifestation of the universal consciousness... A living example of
infinity embodied in a finite body!
Even this might not ring a bell for many a people.
Again, as I said it is really not their fault if they cannot
fathom the depth of it all. As you need to experience spirituality and not just
understand it. It has to happen to you to even to get a remote idea of what it
feels like. And few lucky ones devote time and effort to experience and learn
this Skill*.
I call them lucky because all of them come unknowingly and get
to know THAT which is worth knowing.
I happen to be one of them.
- Montoo Bassi
* If you are still wondering what this Skill is all about?
Call or visit an Art of Living Centre near you.
